iO2 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



India as there is in selling a horse in England. A 

 vicious elephant is drugged, and when perfectly docile 

 through the effects of bhang, is parted with. Ginger 

 and even arrack is given to make a sleepy, inert beast 

 look spry. Every trick known to a clever mahout i& 

 resorted to. A brute that never carries flesh when 

 worked, and can stand no fatigue is fed up with 

 chapatties and sugar-cane, on which he speedily gets 

 fat, but gets back to his normal condition when 

 employed or worked. Elephants are seldom vicious. 

 I have only known one or two. Those born of tame 

 mothers are oftener so than others. They lose their 

 dread of man, fear all wild beasts, as they are not 

 accustomed to seeing them, and so are generally 

 useless for sport. 



Elephants are subject to many diseases ; one 

 called " zurbad " is incurable. It commences with 

 dropsical swellings under the neck and extends down 

 along the belly. An animal may get over the first 

 attack. If so, get rid of it at any sacrifice, for the 

 disease is sure to return and is always fatal in the long 

 run. If an elephant commences to eat earth, stop 

 his grain rations. In a few days he will pass quan- 

 tities of bots, and then be quite well again. They 

 are also very subject to epidemics ; if such break out, 

 they die like rotten sheep. The only resource then 

 is to scatter them as far apart as possible arid let 

 them forage for themselves ; in bheels for choice, as 

 they there find a succulent grass, growing in water, 

 which is very nutritive and acts as an alterative. 

 Most mahouts can treat common ailments that an 

 elephant is heir to, so it is not wise to interfere with 

 them and their charges too much. Elephants utter 



